Battling evil.

[Tellyontellyon]

✝️Do you get the sense in life that you are battling evil, either in yourself or others?
✝️Can you feel under attack?
✝️Or feel you are pushing back against evil?
✝️How do you deal with a tendency to sin?

 

[Tolworth John]

✝️Do you get the sense in life that you are battling evil, either in yourself or others?
✝️Can you feel under attack?
✝️Or feel you are pushing back against evil?
✝️How do you deal with a tendency to sin?

What in Buddhism is evil or sin?

As a Christian I am only too aware of the temptations that are in my life and of my struggles with them.
For me 1 Cor 10:13 is an important verse.

 

[Tellyontellyon]

For me 1 Cor 10:13 is an important verse.

That's a lovely verse. God always provides a way for us.

Buddhist:
There is no concept of absolute evil, people have unskilful thoughts, words and behaviours because of a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of reality and of themselves.
The five minimum precepts are...
☸️Do not kill any living being.
☸️Do not steal.
☸️No lying, gossiping, abusive, idle speech.
☸️No sexual misconduct.
☸️No becoming intoxicated (no drink, drugs)

For Buddhists Karma is like a natural moral law of cause and effect. If your intentional actions are motivated by anger, jealousy, greed, desire, ignorance then the result will have a negative impact and this will come back as a negative 'fruit' either in this or some future life. However, the exact workings of karma are too complex to be understood... Not everything that happens to you or what you are is determined by Karma (otherwise you would have no free will) but rather, your experiences are conditioned by Karma.

 

[Tolworth John]

God always provides a way for us

No God provides a way for those who are following him. Do you expect a coach to help the opposing teams at his team?

Look at verse 14 and the encouragement to flee the from other gods/idoitary,.

Christiany is it inlusve.

 

[public hermit]

✝️Do you get the sense in life that you are battling evil, either in yourself or others

Yes. I believe what is good works towards flourishing life and what is evil works against it. It is a "battle" in the sense that it take effort to consistently do what is good and be aware of circumstances as well as my own thoughts and desire to ensure I am working towards flourishing life and not being overly selfish, self-centered.

✝️How do you deal with a tendency to sin?

I pay attention to my own thoughts and desires, rejecting those that are evil before they take root and become action. For example, I stay on guard against resentment, which can lead to hatred, and possibly words and actions that work against flourishing life

 

[Tellyontellyon]

It sounds much like an inner struggle mostly.... but do you also struggle against the evil of others, evil in the world?

 

[public hermit]

It sounds much like an inner struggle mostly.... but do you also struggle against the evil of others, evil in the world?

What do I have control over? Not much, mostly my own thoughts and desires. I have a big enough log in my own eye to worry about.

I do struggle against the evil of others, but the means available to me is pretty limited. I have a voice, and am fortunate to have a vote. I use both, but my main focus is to avoid contributing to evil, and overcoming evil with good, with love. Love always seeks to bring about what is truly good, that which contributes to life. Love covers a multitude of sin and changes hearts. It changed mine.

 

[Aussie Pete]

✝️Do you get the sense in life that you are battling evil, either in yourself or others?
✝️Can you feel under attack?
✝️Or feel you are pushing back against evil?
✝️How do you deal with a tendency to sin?

Yes to the first 3 questions.

For the Christian, the power of sin has been broken. Those who realise the truth resist temptation when it comes. It can be as simple as not saying anything when you really want to tell someone how wrong they are. Or speaking out when you fear that what you have to say could cost you your job. It's resisting the temptation to lie on your tax return, claiming deductions that you are not entitled to. It's not treating work property as personal. So the operative word is resist!

 

[Tellyontellyon]

For the Christian, the power of sin has been broken.

So a true Christian has the power to overcome sin given to them?
Even enough it is still a struggle, they can resist?

 

[Sketcher]

✝️Do you get the sense in life that you are battling evil, either in yourself or others?
✝️Can you feel under attack?
✝️Or feel you are pushing back against evil?
✝️How do you deal with a tendency to sin?

How do you crack the darkness? By lighting a candle.
How do you combat hatred? By loving others and making peace.

 

[Aussie Pete]

So a true Christian has the power to overcome sin given to them?
Even enough it is still a struggle, they can resist?

Yes. One of the lies of Satan is that sin is inevitable. Lord Jesus gives us victory over sin, Satan, the world and the flesh. Those who are born again hate sin. That does not mean that they never sin, but it does mean that they are convicted in their conscience when they sin.